The incident of al-Ifk is narrated inboth Sunni and Shia Tafseer; the incident is also narrated on the popular Shiawebsite, Al-Islam.org. We shall first re-tell the story of al-Ifk and thenlater shall we authenticate it with Shia Tafseer from Al-Islam.org.

Incident of al-Ifk

On the way back to Medina, the Muslimarmy stopped for a rest, but then the Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم)unexpectedly ordered the army to continue the march again. Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)noticed that her onyx necklace was missing so she retraced her steps to findit. When she finally found it and returned to the camp, the Muslim army hadalready left without her. Her litter was veiled so her absence was not noticed.

Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) waited forsomeone to notice she was missing and to come back for her. Fortunately, shedid not have to wait long, for a young Muslim man named Safwan (رضّى الله عنه),who had fallen behind the army after taking a rest, reached the camp during thenight and found her lying fast asleep. Safwan (رضّىالله عنه) recognized herand escorted her back to the Muslim army and the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم).

Unfortunately, some hypocrites who hadseen Safwan (رضّى الله عنه) and Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) arrive alone together began to gossip andspread slanderous lies about them. Eventually the story reached the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) himself and by then the whole community was talking about whatmight or might not have happened between the two young Muslims. Naturally, thebelievers were certain that nothing bad had happened, but the Munafiqoon(hypocrites) thought otherwise and were not afraid to insinuate that was thecase, accusing the Prophet’s wife of engaging in an adulterous affair.

Aisha’s Feelings (رضّى الله عنها)are Hurt

The accusations against Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)hurt her deeply and she soon fell so sick that she asked the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) if she could return to her parent’s house until the matter wascleared up. The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) then tried to vindicate Aisha’s honor (رضّى الله عنها)by calling everyone to the Masjid and publicly defending her reputation, butthe hypocrites who had started the trouble in the first place only made mattersworse, so that arguments broke out all over the Masjid, and people had almostcome to blows over the matter before the Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم)calmed them down and silenced them. The Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم) saidto Abdullah ibn Ubayy, leader of the Munafiqoon: “OMuslims, who will deal with a man [i.e. Abdullah ibn Ubayy] who I have heard isspeaking in an offensive manner about my family? By Allah, I know nothing butgood about my family.” [bukhari, Muslim]

Ali (رضّىالله عنه) Defends Aisha(رضّى الله عنها)

The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)was a person with a lot of Gheerah (protective jealousy) which, according tothe Sunnah, is considered a good quality in Muslim men. So the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) was naturally incensed by the accusations that his wife hadslept with another man. These accusations caused him a great deal of agitation.The Companions of the Prophet (رضّى الله عنهم) saw how miserable the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) had become over this issue, and so it was that Ali (رضّى الله عنه)said to him: “O Allah’s Apostle! Allah does not imposerestrictions on you, and there are plenty of women other than her. If however,you ask her slave girl, she will tell you the truth!” (Bukhari)

The popular Shia author and scholarAl-Tijani cited this as evidence that Ali (رضّىالله عنه) told the Prophet(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) to divorce Aisha (رضّى الله عنها). He declares that this is recorded inSunni accounts as well and he off-handedly cites the above Hadith from Bukharias his “evidence.” This is what we like to call “Half-Hadith-ing” [i.e. usinghalf of a Hadith to “prove” one’s point]. If we look at the other half of theHadith, we see that it negates Al-Tijani’s claim that Ali (رضّى الله عنه)told the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) to divorce Aisha (رضّى الله عنها).

Al-Tijani

Let us see what Al-Tijani, the popularShia scholar and writer, has to say on the issue. Al-Tijani says: “We may ask a few questions about the war of al-Jamal, whichwas instigated by Umm al-Mumineen Aishah, who played an important role init…how could Aishah allow herself to declare war on the caliph of the Muslims,Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who was the master of all Muslims? As usual, our scholars,with some simplicity, answer us that she did not like Imam Ali because headvised the Messenger of Allah to divorce her in the incident of al-Ifk…” (ThenI was Guided, p. 117)

Ali (رضّىالله عنه) did not in anyway advise the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) to divorce Aisha (رضّى الله عنها).He merely said that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليهوآله وسلّم) could sincenobody had greater rights than the Prophet of Allah, but that it would bebetter if the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) just asked Aisha’s slave girl, who waswith Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) most of the time, on the matter of Aisha’s innocence. Theslave girl was in the room, and Ali (رضّى الله عنه) meant to say that all the believers knewAisha (رضّى الله عنها) was innocent, even a “lowly” slave girl.

In any case, as we shall see soon, ifAli (رضّى الله عنه) doubted Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and asked the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) to divorce her in the incident of al-Ifk, then this would meanthat Ali (رضّى الله عنه) was one of the Munafiqoon. Is this what the Shia are accusingAli (رضّى الله عنه) of? The Quran itself would declare anyone who doubted Aisha’sinnocence (رضّى الله عنها) to be a Munafiqh. So this is slander against not only theProphet’s wife but also against Ali (رضّى الله عنه).

Allah Almighty Defends Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)

It would be none other than AllahHimself who would declare Aisha’s innocence (رضّىالله عنها) and vindicateher of the slander levied against her. Allah revealed to the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) the following verses, condemning those Munafiqoon who doubtedAisha’s innocence (رضّى الله عنها) and slandered her honor:

[24:11] “Surelythose who fabricate the lie are a group from among you…Every man will receivewhat he has earned for this sin, and whoever had the greater part in it willhave a grievous punishment.”

[24:12] “Why did the men and women believers, when theyheard it, not think good of their own folk and say: ‘This is clearly a lie?’”

[24:13] “Why did they not produce fourwitnesses? Since they did not produce witnesses, they are certainly liars inthe sight of Allah.”

[24:14] “If it were not for the grace of Allah,and His mercy on you in this world and in the next world, an awful doom wouldhave overtaken you for what you repeated.”

[24:15] “Since you received it with your tongues, andrepeated what you did not know anything about with your mouths, you thought itwas a trifle, but in the sight of Allah it is serious.”

[24:16] “Why, when you heard it, did you not say: ‘Itis not for us to repeat this, Glory be to You (O Allah), this is a seriousslander.’”

[24:17] “Allah warns you to never repeat anything likethis again, if you are indeed believers!”

[24:19] “Surely those who love to spread around slanderabout those who believe will have a painful punishment in this world and in thenext world; and Allah knows and you do not know.”

[24:20] “And had it not been for the Grace of Allah andHis Mercy on you, (Allah would have hastened the punishment upon you). And thatAllah is full of kindness, Most Merciful.”

[24:21] “O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps ofShaitan…”

[24:22] “And…Do you not love that Allah should forgiveyou? …”

[24:23] “Verily, those who accuse chaste women, whonever even think of anything touching their chastity and are good believers,are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a greattorment.”

[24:24] “On the Day when their tongues, their hands,and their legs or feet will bear witness against them as to what they used todo.”

[24:25] “On that Day Allah will pay them the recompenseof their deeds in full, and they will know that Allah, He is the ManifestTruth.”

[24:26] “Vile women are for vile men, and vile men forvile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women; such areinnocent of that which people say: For them is pardon and a bountifulprovision.”

Shia Tafseer

Sometimes Shia will have a hard timeabsorbing these verses, so they will oftentimes try denying that these verseswere revealed in relation to Aisha (رضّى الله عنها). They will even completely deny theincident of al-Ifk, which is a known historical event recorded in the preservedannals of history and is even in the authentic Shia books.

To categorically prove that these verseswere revealed in regard to Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) in the incident of al-Ifk, we shall quotestraight from the popular Shia website, Al-Islam.org, which contains theauthentic Shia Tafseer of Pooya/M.A. Ali. This is the most authentic ShiaTafseer in English, and can be found at the following Shia website:http://www.al-Islam.org/quran/

The reader can simply use the searchfunction on the left hand side of the site (http://www.al-Islam.org/quran/) to find theShia Tafseer (Pooya/M.A. Ali) of verses 24:11-19. We shall copy and paste whatAl-Islam.org says here:

Al-Islam.org says

“ Theparticular incident referred to here occurred on the return from the defensiveexpedition of the Bani Mustaliq in 5-6 Hijra. At one of the halts, A-isha, theHoly Prophet’s wife, withdrew from the camp to cleanse herself in the nearbydesert. There she lost her necklace. As it was dark there she took time todiscover it. In the meantime the march was ordered. As her litter was veiled,it was not noticed that she was not in it. When she returned to the camp, shecould do nothing but wait. She fell asleep. Next morning she was found bySafwan who had been left behind to pick up anything inadvertently left behind.He put her on his camel and brought her, leading the camel on foot. Thisepisode furnished some malicious enemies of the Holy Prophet, particularly thehypocrites, with an opportunity to raise a scandalous storm in order to hurtthe feelings of the Holy Prophet. The ringleader among them was the chief of theMadina hypocrites, Abdullah ibn Ubay. Mistah, her uncle, also helped him. IbnUbay is referred to as the man who took on himself the lead among them tospread the scandal.

Aliibn abi Talib knew that it was an obvious lie (as said in verse 12), concoctedto hurt the Holy Prophet, so he asked Burayrah, the maid of A-isha, to tell themischief-makers the truth about her mistress. On Burayrah’s report the scandalwas diffused.

Peoplemay think it is an insignificant matter to speak lightly of something whichdamages a person’s character or reputation, but with Allah it is a most seriousmatter in all cases…

AllahAlmighty Himself declared Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) innocent and warns everyone not to makeany accusations or slander against Aisha (رضّى اللهعنها). He says: “Allah warns you to never repeat anything like this again, ifyou are indeed believers!” (Quran, 24:17)

Yet today we see that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)is still insulted and slandered. She is accused of hating Ali (رضّى الله عنه)and of being an enemy of Ahlel Bayt. To the Shia, being a Nasibi (hater ofAhlel Bayt) is worse than Zinnah and indeed such a person is declared a Kaffiraccording to their texts. Therefore, what Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) is accused ofis in fact far worse than what the al-Ifk Munafiqoon spoke about. CommitingZinnah does not make one a Kaffir, and none of the Munafiqoon during theincident of al-Ifk ever accused Aisha (رضّى اللهعنها) of being a Kaffir.

In fact, the very same Shia Tafseer onAl-Islam.org declares that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) is not only a Kaffir but rather she isthe very leader of the Kufaar [imam al-Kufr]. Al-Islam.org quotes the Shia Tafseerfor verse 9:12 as:

Al-Islam.org says

“Accordingto the Holy Prophet, a-immatal kufr (leaders of infidelity) are also those whoopposed and fought against the divinely commissioned Imams of the Ahl ulBayt…Ali ibn abi Talib had recited this verse at the battle of Jamal and quotedthe above noted prophecy of the Holy Prophet.

In Tafseer Al-Qumi (which is perhaps themost classical of Shia Tafseer), it is said that it is the people whom Ali (رضّى الله عنه)fought in the Battle of Jamal including Aisha (رضّىالله عنها), Talha (رضّى الله عنه),and Zubair (رضّى الله عنه) who are being referred to in this Verse as the “Leaders ofKufr.” This view is also the position of Kashani in his Tafseer Al-Safi, and inother Shia interpretations. The Majma ul Bayan Tafseer also includes Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)as one of the “Aimmatul Kufr” (Imams of Kufr) along with the Quraishpolythiests, the Persian Magians, and the Byzantine Christians.

The Shia Ayatollahs also accuse Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)of fabricating Hadith which is another act of Kufr. Fabricating Hadith isconsidered Kufr by both the Sunni and Shia Ulema! It is unfortunate that she iscalled a Kaffir when Allah Himself declares her a believer: “Surely those who love to spread around slander about thosewho believe will have a painful punishment in this world and in the next world;and Allah knows and you do not know.” (Quran, 24:19) Moreover, Allahdeclares Aisha to be a “good believer”: “Verily, thosewho accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything touching theirchastity and are good believers, are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter,and for them will be a great torment.” (Quran, 24:23)

If the Shia accuse Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)of being vile, then they are accusing the Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم) ofbeing vile. Allah says: “Vile women are for vile men,and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for goodwomen; such are innocent of that which people say: For them is pardon and abountiful provision.” (Quran, 24:26) This is the absolute verdict on thecharacter of Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), and stands as a refutation against allthe slander made against her. This verse was revealed in regards to Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)in the incident of al-Ifk, and this is agreed upon by even the authentic ShiaTafseer. So we wonder then why the Shia feel comfortable with slandering hercharacter.

Conclusion

Any unbiased person can see that theaccusations levied against Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) by the Ayatollahs are worse than thoselevied against her by the Munafiqoon in the incident of al-Ifk. The latter onlyaccused Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) of Fisq (i.e. Zinnah is not Kufr), butthe Ayatollahs accuse her of Kufr (i.e. fabricating Hadith is Kufr, andaccording to the Shia, so is preventing the Imamah of Ali [رضّى الله عنه]).

No believer should feel comfortableslandering a woman who was specifically defended in the Quran by AllahAlmighty, a person whom the Quran warns against slandering in the strictest oftones, declaring those who do so to be unbelievers. During the incident ofal-Ifk, the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) publically denounced the Munafiqoon andsaid that he knew nothing bad about his family; so why then do the Shiascholars insult the Prophetic family by speaking ill of them, even when theQuran and Hadith both exonerate Aisha (رضّى اللهعنها)?

TheAmericans bestow respect upon their president, and one way they do this is byextending this respect to his wife, whom they refer to as the First Lady ofAmerica. Historically, the British have bestowed respect on the wife of theirking. Surely, the respect bestowed upon the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)by the Muslims should far surpass the respect the Americans give to thePresident, or the British have given to the King.

If the Americans have the decency torespect the First Lady of America, and if the British have the decency torespect the Queen of England, then surely the Muslims should have the decencyto respect Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), the First Lady of Islam. All governmentofficials address the First Lady of America with respect; but do we see theAyatollahs (the officials of the Shia religion) addressing the First Lady ofIslam with respect? Instead, they call her a Kaffir [the Imam of Kufr], Fasiq,Munafiqh, Nasibi, and an enemy of Islam.

Insulting or harming the Prophet’s wife(رضّى الله عنها) is insulting and harming the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)himself. Even the man with the least amount of chivalry and self-respect wouldnot allow people to insult his wife, and this includes the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم).

Sunni Imam and Shia Ayatollah

There is the story of a Sunni Imam whogave a speech in front of a Shia Masjid. He began the speech by praising theAyatollah of the Shia Masjid and declaring his undying love for him. Afterthis, the Sunni Imam began insulting the Ayatollah’s wife and declared her tobe a Kaffir, Fasiq, Munafiqh, Nasibi, and an enemy of Islam.

The Ayatollah rushed outside and beganyelling at the Sunni Imam. The Sunni Imam responded, “but I love you, dearAyatollah!”

To which the Shia Ayatollah respondedwith, “then why do you insult my wife?”

The Sunni Imam calmly replied: “I loveyou, but I am against your wife who is an imprudent, inappropriate, and hatefulwoman.”

The Shia Ayatollah raised his fist inthe air and said: “By Allah, if you hate my wife, then you hate me! My wife ismy beloved!”

The Sunni Imam said: “She is my enemy.May Allah curse her!”

The Shia Ayatollah was rightfullyincensed: “By Allah, I cannot stand for such slander. May Allah curse you!An enemy of my wife is an enemy of me! By Allah, I wish to kill you!”

The Sunni Imam then said: “O Shia, youreject the love of those who hate your wife. So then, why do you think theProphet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) will accept your love for him when youhate his wife and insult her, calling her a Kaffir, Fasiq, Munafiqh, Nasibi,and an enemy of Islam?”

To this, the Shia Ayatollah was leftspeechless.

Indeed, no man allows others to slanderhis wife, and the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآلهوسلّم) is the one with themost Gheerah (protective “jealousy”) in regards to his wives. If the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) heard the things which the Shia say about Aisha (رضّى الله عنها),no doubt the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) would be furious.

Hurting the feelings of the Prophet’swives (رضّى الله عنهم) is hurting the feelings of the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم).In fact, this methdology of targetting the Prophet’s wives (رضّى الله عنهم)was used by the Munafiqoon (hypocrites) to hurt the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) in the incident of al-Ifk: they insulted Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)in order to insult the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآلهوسلّم) by extension.

The Quran

The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)was actually extremely sensitive about his wives, and Allah thus warned thebelievers about hurting them. His wives were considered so precious that Allahinstructed the believers to talk to them from behind a screen and He alsoforbade anyone from marrying them after the Prophet’s death: “When you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind ascreen. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. It is not for youto cause injury to the Messenger of Allah, or ever marry his wives after him.To do that would be something dreadful in the sight of Allah.” (Quran33:53) If the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) was so sensitive about his wives, then wecan only guess at what his response would be towards those Ayatollahs alivetoday who malign them.

A rule of thumb in Islam is that weshould treat our brothers like we want ourselves to be treated. Thus, beforeanyone insults the Prophet’s wife, one should first allow others to insultone’s own wife. If he does not allow others to insult his own wife, then wewonder why he feels so comfortable insulting the wife of the greatest man ever born.

The Quran itself serves as a testamentto the fact that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and the rest of the Prophet’s wives arerighteous Muslims. In fact, the Shariah as expounded through the Quran declaresthat Muslims are forbidden to marry people who are not righteous. Allah demandsin the Quran: “Marry those among you who are single andthe righteous ones among yourselves, male or female.” (Quran24:32) This is a command, in the imperative form of Arabic; even the Shia Ulemaforbid their followers from marrying unrighteous women. To say that the Prophet(صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) would go against his own laws and marry a bad and unrighteouswoman is undoubtedly Kufr! Ayatollah Khomeini said: “Itis forbidden in Islam to marry the Fasiqoon (sinners).” So we ask thisAyatollah: is he accusing the Prophet (صلّى اللهعليه وآله وسلّم) ofsinning by marrying one of the Fasiqoon?

Allah further declares: “Bad women are for bad men and bad men are for bad women.Good women are for good men and good men are for good women.” (Quran,24:26) So if the Shia Ayatollahs say that Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) is bad, thenthis means that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآلهوسلّم) is also bad! TheProphet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) is good, so he can only marry those whoare good. And the most interesting thing about this verse, 24:26, is that itwas revealed in the incident of al-Ifk which was about Aisha (رضّى الله عنها).Hence, there should be absolutely no confusion on the matter of Aisha’s noblecharacter (رضّى الله عنها).

The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)said: “A man may marry [a woman] for four reasons: forher property, for her rank, for her beauty, or for her religion (andcharacter). So marry the one who is best in the religion and character and [youwill] prosper, or else you will be a loser.” If the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) did not even fulfill his own advice and if he married a womanof bad religion and bad character, then by his own words he would be a loser!We seek Allah’s Mercy from such slander. Surely the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) only married righteous women, and Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)was righteous.

Allah further says: “They (wives) are like garments for you, and you are likegarments for them.” (Quran, 2:187) In the Tafseer, both Sunni and ShiaUlema say that this means that husbands should hide the faults of their wives,and vice/versa. Hence, the Prophet (صلّى الله عليهوآله وسلّم) was a coveringfor Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), protecting her from slander and insults. Indeed, if theProphet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) were alive today, he would defend Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)and refute the malicious lies levied against her. In fact, Allah commands theProphet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) to be a protector and maintainer of hiswives: “Men are the protectors and maintainers ofwomen.” (Quran, 3:34)

The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم)loved his wife Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) dearly. How can the Shia deny this whenAllah declares in the Quran: “And of His Signs is this:He created for you mates from yourself that you might find rest in them, and Heordained between you love and mercy.” (Quran 30:21) Every Muslim man iscommanded to love his wife, and even the disbelievers love their wives! How canwe face the Islam-haters and defend our Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم) infront of them if they say that the Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم) didnot even love his own wife? What kind of a man except a cold-blooded wretchdoes not love his own wife? By Allah, the Prophet (صلّىالله عليه وآله وسلّم)loved Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), and if he loved her, then we should loveher too.

Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) is of the AhlelBayt; she is the First Lady of Islam, the Queen of our hearts, the Mother ofthe Believers, and the beloved of Allah’s Beloved.

Acommon tactic of the Shia is to say that the Ahlus Sunnah says such-and-suchand then they will say “it’s in Sahih Bukhari”, without actually showing us theentire Hadith in question. One such instance is the Hadith about Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)teaching two men how to do Ghusl. The Shia will claim that the Sunnis believethat Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) did Ghusl naked in front of twonon-mehrem men.

ShiaChat.com Moderator“Aliya” says

“it’sin the sahih collections of the non-shias that Aisha showed na mahrams how todo ghusl actually performing it (not just showing via motions while clothed).

[sahihBukhari, Volume 1, Book 5, Number 251]

”

First off, the ShiaChat moderator is100% incorrect in saying that two non-mehrems approached her. In fact, if weactually look at the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, we find that Bibi Aisha was thesister of one of the men and she was the aunt of the other man! Therefore, theywere not at all non-mehrems.

Let us read the Hadith:

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 5, Number251:

Narrated Abu Salmah:

Aisha’s brother and I went toAisha and he asked her about the bath of the Prophet. She brought a potcontaining about a Sa’ of water and took a bath and poured it over her head andat that time there was a screen between her and us.

The Shia propagandists will say thingslike “why would two men come to a woman to teach them Ghusl?” This is notstrange at all, because they did not just come to any woman, but they come totheir sister and aunt, respectively. And Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)was considered a scholar and she taught many Sahabah (Companions), so there isnothing strange in this.

Therefore, we see that the Hadith inBukhari talks innocently about Bibi Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) showing herbrother and nephew (رضّى الله عنهم) how to do Ghusl. There is nothing strangein this. We would like to ask the Shia if they would find it strange if theyread somewhere that Bibi Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) taught her son, Sayyiduna Hasan (رضّى الله عنه),how to do Ghusl? The answer is certainly “no,” and we would thus like to askour Shia brothers to not harbor a different standard for the wife of theProphet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم), Bibia Aisha (رضّى الله عنها).

Allah (عز وجل) has already warned theMuslims of spreading such slander against Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) inthe Quran and this is the famous incident of Al-Ifq in which–according to bothSunni and Shia sources–Allah (عز و جل) says about those who slander Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها):“Allah admonishes you that you should not return to the like of it (slanderingAisha) ever again if you are believers.” (Quran, 24:17)

To read more about the incident ofAl-Ifk, please go to the following link:

No, Allah (عزو جل) condemned thosepeople not to slander about Bibi Aisha (رضّى اللهعنها) in regards to theincident of Al-Ifk, but also about anything similar to it (i.e. “the like ofit”)! Allah (عز و جل) says about those who slander Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها): “Allahadmonishes you that you should not return to the like of it (slandering Aisha)ever again if you are believers.” (Quran, 24:17)

The incident of Al-Ifk was one in whichthe hypocrites accused the Prophet’s wife (رضّىالله عنها) of beingsexually immodest. Surely, if the Shia would like to insinuate that Bibi Aisha(رضّى الله عنها) was sexually immodest by doing Ghusl in front of a man naked,then this would be considered “the like of it (slandering Aisha).”

The Shia propagandists will oftentimesuse Taqiyyah to hide their hatred of Bibi Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) and they willsometimes refrain from directly attacking her. Instead, they will use innuendoand sarcasm to put her down, and this is one instance of it. There should be nodoubt in the minds of the Muslims that Bibi Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) was the mostmodest of women.

ShiaChat.com Senior Member“MOHIB E AHLAYBAIT” says

“oneof the two [possibilities]: compiler of the Hadith or Ayesha are at fault,either way it proves shia point of view.

”

Notice how the Shia brother is willingto accept that Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) was immodest! And also notice how theShia admit that if we could somehow malign Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)(in whichever way possible) that would then “prove” the Shia point of view,meaning quite simply that the Shia point of view is that Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)was an indecent woman. This belief is part and parcel with the Shia doctrine.

In any case, ShiaChat has declared thatthere are only two possibilities: either Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)was sexually immodest or the Hadith is false (in which case the Ahlus Sunnah isslandering Bibi Aisha [رضّى الله عنها]). However, there is a third possibility:the Shia propagandists take Hadith dramatically out of context in order toprove their point.

Let us examine the Hadith which the Shiapoint to:

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 5, Number251:

Narrated Abu Salmah:

Aisha’s brother and I went to Aisha andhe asked her about the bath of the Prophet. She brought a pot containing abouta Sa’ of water and took a bath and poured it over her head and at that timethere was a screen between her and us.

The Hadith itself clearly states thatthere was a screen between her and the two men! This refers to Purdah which isvery definitive, and in Islam, the Purdah refers to a strict barrier betweenmale and female. Because the Hadith is so crystal clear on the matter that thetwo were separated by a screen, I do not see how the Shia can actually try touse this Hadith against us!

As any student of the Hadith sciencesknows, most incidents have multiple narrations. Some of these narrations areabridged and would not make sense without the entire narration. In fact, thisincident mentioned in Sahih Bukhari is also narrated in Sunan Abu Dawood (whichnarrates the same incident but goes more in depth). Sunan Abu Dawood statesthat Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) left the room, performed Ghusl behind ascreen, came out, and then verbally told them how to do Ghusl. Therefore, itseems to be a complete distortion of facts to claim that Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)was indeed naked in front of two men.

How many people learned how to do Wuduand Ghusl from Islamic audio cassettes, videos, and books? It is not imperativethat a physical demonstration be done in order to learn how to do Ghusl. AfterBibi (رضّى الله عنها) had completed her own Ghusl, then she taught her brother andnephew verbally on the matter of Ghusl.

The Hadith in Al-Bukhari is a summary ofthe incident, and the detailed explanation is Sunan Abu Dawood. It is the sameevent, and there is 100% concordance between the two Hadith. Both Hadith sayshe was behind a screen. Not Bukhari, nor Muslim, nor Abu Dawood, nor any otherscholar has ever said that she wasn’t behind a screen and this is only the imaginationof Shia who watch pornography and do Mutah left and right.

It may be said, however, that the Hadithdoesn’t make sense then if the screen was between the two. Well, there is noroom for interpretation since the Hadith itself says there was a screen betweenthem! And all of this in the same sentence, so how can the Shia accept part ofthe sentence and then ignore the rest of it which says that there was a screenbetween her and the two men?

The Shia will ask: if Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)was doing a demonstration of Ghusl, what benefit would that have if theaudience it was directed at did not see her?

ShiaChat.com Moderator“Aliya” says

“whatwould be the point of a demonstration that the audience couldn’t see?

”

When Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)went to perform Ghusl, she never said that this was a demonstration to the men.Otherwise, as has been stated, there would be no need for a screen. The truthof the matter is very simple and straightforward. Bibi Aisha’s brother andnephew (رضّى الله عنهم) wanted to know how to do Ghusl. When they approached BibiAisha (رضّى الله عنها) about this, she said that she was doing Ghusl herself and thenafter she did it, then she would teach them how to do it verbally. This view isstrengthened and bolstered by the Hadith itself which categorically states thatthere was a screen between them, and the Hadith in Sunan Abu Dawood which tellsus that she left the room to perform Ghusl and only after she came out did sheteach them how to do Ghusl. The fact that it is narrated with such detail inSunan Abu Dawood will, Insha-Allah, clear all doubts regarding this matter.

As can be seen, these accusations (bothabout the character of Bibi Aisha [رضّى الله عنها] and about the nature of Sahih Bukhari)are baseless. This current slander of Bibi Aisha (رضّىالله عنها) is similar tothe way the Munafiqoon (the Hypocrites) saw Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)and another man together in the incident of Al-Ifk, so they automatically triedinterpreting this in the dirtiest way possible. A similar approach is used bythe Shia when they view the Hadith about Bibi Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)teaching her brother and nephew (رضّى الله عنهم) how to do Ghusl.

Could you please answer my questionabout Shee‘ah (Shi‘a) Islam? Is it permissible for one to think badly of theProphet’s wife ‘Aa’ishah?

Answer by Shaykh Muhammad Saalihal-Munajjid:

Praise be to Allaah.

…The punishment for apostasy (riddah) iswell-known in Islaamic Sharee’ah. The one who leaves Islaam will be asked torepent by the Sharee’ah judge in an Islaamic country; if he does not repent andcome back to the true religion, he will be killed as a kaafir and apostate,because of the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be uponhim): “Whoever changes his religion, kill him.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,3017)…

The scholars of Sunni Islam are allagreed that whoever condemns ‘Aa’ishah for that of which Allaah has stated sheis innocent is a kaafir, because he has rejected Allaah’s statement of herinnocence in Soorat al-Noor.

Imaam Ibn Hazm quoted a report with anisnad going back to Hishaam ibn ‘Ammaar, who said: “I heard Maalik ibn Anassay: ‘…whoever curses ‘Aa’ishah should be killed.’ He was asked, ‘Why do yousay that concerning (the one who curses) ‘Aa’ishah?’ He said, ‘Because Allaahsays concerning ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her (interpretation of themeaning): “Allaah forbids you from it [slander] and warns you not to repeat thelike of it forever, if you are believers.” [al-Noor 24:17]’”

Maalik said: “Whoever accuses her goesagainst the Qur’aan, and whoever goes against the Qur’aan should be killed.”

Ibn Hazm said: “This comment of Maalik’sis correct, and it is complete apostasy to reject Allaah’s words that clearlystate her innocence.”

Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi said: “Becausethe people who slandered ‘Aa’ishah accused a pure and innocent person ofimmorality, then Allah exonerated her. So everyone who accuses her of that ofwhich Allah has stated she is innocent is rejecting what Allah says, andeveryone who rejects what Allah says is a kaafir. This is the opinion ofMaalik, and the matter is very clear to those who have insight.”

Al-Qaadi Abu Ya‘laa said: “Whoeverslanders ‘Aa’ishah by accusing her of that of which Allah stated her innocenceis a kaafir, without doubt. More than one imam stated this ijmaa‘ (consensus)and gave this ruling.”

Ibn Abi Moosaa said: “Whoever accuses‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, of that of which Allaah stated shewas innocent has left the religion (is no longer a Muslim) and has no right tomarry a Muslim woman.”

Ibn Qudaamah said: “It is a part of theSunnah to say ‘May Allah be pleased with her’ after mentioning the wives of theProphet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), Mothers of the Believerswho are pure and innocent of any evil. The best of them are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylidand ‘Aa’ishah al-Siddeeqah bint al-Siddeeq, whose innocence was stated byAllah; (they are) the wives of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah beupon Him) in this world and the next. Whoever accuses her of that of whichAllah has stated her innocence has rejected the words of Allaah All-Mighty.”

Imam al-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy onhim, said: “‘Aa’ishah’s innocence of that of which she was accused is stateddefinitively in the Qur’aan. If anyone doubts that (may Allah protect us fromsuch a thing), he becomes a kaafir and an apostate, by the consensus of theMuslims.”

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy onhim, said: “The ummah is agreed that whoever slanders her is a kaafir.”

Al-Haafiz ibn Katheer said, in hisTafseer: ” The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, all agreed that whoeveraccuses or slanders her after the revelation of this aayah is a kaafir, becausehe has rejected the Qur’aan.”

Badr al-Deen al-Zirkashi said: “Whoeverslanders her is a kaafir, because the Qur’aan clearly states her innocence.”

The scholars based their ruling on theone who slanders ‘Aa’ishah on the following evidence:

(1) The evidence that is derived fromthe verses in Soorat al-Noor that clearly state her innocence. So whoeveraccuses her after Allah has declared her innocent is rejecting the words ofAllah, which is kufr beyond any shadow of a doubt.

(2) Slandering the family of the ProphetSAWS (peace be upon him) hurts and offends the Prophet himself, and there is nodoubt that whatever hurts and offends the Prophet SAWS (peace be upon him) iskufr, by consensus (ijmaa‘). Evidence that the slander of his wife hurt andoffended the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) is seen inthe hadeeth of the slander (al-ifk) reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim, in which‘Aa’ishah says: “. . . The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaahbe upon Him) stood up on that day and asked who would go and deal with‘Abdullaah ibn Ubayy. He was on the minbar, and said: ‘O Muslims, who will dealwith a man who I have heard is speaking in an offensive manner about my family?By Allaah, I know nothing but good about my family.’ . . .” What the Prophet(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) meant was: who will be kind tome, and excuse me if I go and deal with him myself, and I give him what hedeserves because I have heard that he is speaking in an offensive manner aboutmy family. This proves that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah beupon Him) was so deeply offended and hurt that he asked people whether they coulddeal with this person fairly.

Imaam al-Qurtubi said, in his Tafseer ofthe aayah “Allaah forbids you from it [slander] and warns you not to repeat thelike of it forever, if you are believers.” [al-Noor 24:17]”:

“This is concerning ‘Aa’ishah . . . because of the hurt and offence that theMessenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) felt withregard to his honour and his family. This is kufr on the part of the one whodoes it.”

(3) Slandering ‘Aa’ishah impliesinsulting the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), becauseAllah, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):

Al-Haafiz ibn Katheer, may Allah havemercy on him, said: “I.e., Allah would not have made ‘Aa’ishah the wife of theMessenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) if she had notbeen good, because he is better than any good person. If she had been bad, shewould not have been fit to marry him from a shar‘i point of view, and Allahwould never even have decreed it..”

Finally, let us remember that the mostbeloved of all people to him (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) was‘Aa’ishah al-Siddeeqah bint al-Siddeeq, as is proven in the report of ‘Amr ibnal-‘Aas, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah beupon Him) put me in charge of an army during the ghazwah (campaign) ofal-Salaasil. I came to him and asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, who among thepeople is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘Aa’ishah.’ I asked, ‘Who among men?’He said, ‘Her father.’ I asked, ‘Then who?’ He said, ‘‘Umar,’ then he mentioneda number of others.”

So whoever feels hatred towards the belovedof the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) willdeserved to be despised by him on the Day of Resurrection. And Allaah knowsbest.

The verses in Soorat al-Noor apply onlyto the specific charges levied against Aa’ishah in the incident of Al-Ifk andnot to any other accusations against her.

Rebuttal:

Allah (عز وجل) says: “Allah warns youto never repeat anything similar to this again, if you are indeedbelievers.” [al-Noor 24:17] By the words “anything similar”, we see that itcannot possibly refer only to the incident of Al-Ifk, but rather it applies toany similar slander against Aisha (رضّى الله عنها). Indeed, accusing her of fabricatingHadith, of being one of the Imams of Kufr, and other such things are even moreegregious than Zinnah. Therefore, not only is this slander similar to that ofthose who criticized her in the incident of Al-Ifk, but it is in fact a farmore reprehensible thing to utter against her.

More importantly, Allah (عز و جل)says in the same sequence of verses the following words: “Vile women are forvile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and goodmen for good women; such are innocent of that which people say: For them ispardon and a bountiful provision.” [soorat al-Noor, 24:26] This is in referenceto Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), meaning Allah (عز و جل) has declared her to be good. Therefore,anyone who says that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) is not good is rejecting this verse inthe Quran and whoever rejects a single verse in the Quran is a disbeliever.

Thedepths of hatred that the Shia Ulema have for the Prophet’s family (i.e. theway in which they disassociate themselves from his wife Aisha) manifests itselfin the following fatwa passed by the Aalim Network on the very popular Shiawebsite, Al-Islam.org. The Shia are discouraged by their scholars to name theirdaughters by the beautiful name of “Aisha”–such is their hatred for the belovedof our beloved Prophet.

Al-Islam.org says

“QUESTION:

assalaam alaikum -

Ihave a brief question for you concerning the name A’isha. I am fairly new toIslam and me and my wife are expecting our first child. At any rate, I waswondering if such a name would be discouraged within the Shi’a Islamiccommunity due to the association she had with rebelling against ‘Ali etc. or ifit is a common enough name so as to not have relevence in such matters. Youradvice will be much appreciated.

ANSWER:

Salaamun‘alaykum,

Dueto her actions against Imam Ali during the times of the Prophet and after hisdeath (including the famous battle of the Camel), the followers of the ahlal-bayt are not encouraged to keep her name for their children.

Firstly, we should state that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها)never rebelled against Ali (رضّى الله عنها) and this is a myth which the Shiapropagandists have repeated so much that the masses just take it as an acceptedfact. Ibn Khaldun said: “(The) more an incident becomes popular the more anetwork of unfounded tales and stories is woven around it.” This is the casewith the Battle of the Camel, in which the Shia criminals attacked Aisha’scaravan and sought to blame her for that, and this tradition of slanderingAisha (رضّى الله عنها) continues up until this day to the point that even somelay-person Sunnis erroneously start accepting the Shia version of history inwhich Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) rebelled against Ali (رضّى الله عنها).In fact, this is not the case, and we invite you to read the following articleon the Battle of the Camel: Battle of the Camel

It is only the Shia Ayatollahs who viewAisha (رضّى الله عنها) as a rebel against Ahlel Bayt and it is for this reason thatthey discourage their followers from naming their children with the name of“Aisha” and it is for this reason that you will never find a Shia who has adaughter with this name. What is unknown to the Shia masses is that theirAyatollah’s hatred for Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and the name “Aisha” is not shared by theInfallible Imams of the Shia. Indeed, the Shia Ayatollahs have flouted theSunnah of the same Imams they claim to follow; whereas the Shia Ayatollahs saynot to name daughters with the name of Aisha, in fact the Infallible Imams ofthe Shia very much did name their daughters with that name.

We shall hereby provide purely Shiasources to confirm the fact that the Infallible Imams of the Shia did in factname their daughters with the name of “Aisha”:

4. Aisha bint Jafar as-Sadiq: Thiswas the daughter of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq, the sixth of the Infallible Imams ofthe Shia. This is also recorded in Kashf al-Ghumma of Abu al-Hasan al-Irbili[v. 2, p. 373]).

5. Aisha bint Ali al-Hadi: Thiswas the daughter of the tenth Infallible Imam of the Shia, namely Imam Alial-Hadi. This is mentioned by Shaikh al-Mufid in al-Irshad [p.334] and also inKashf al-Ghumma of Abu al-Hasan al-Iribli [v.2, p.334]

6. Aisha bint Jafar ibn Musaal-Kadhim: This was the grand-daughter of the Infallible Imam of the Shia(i.e. the daughter of the Imam’s son, Jafar ibn Musa). This is stated by Abual-Hasan al-Umari in al-Mujdi [p.109].

And there are many more such examples.The fact of the matter is that none of the eleven Imams of the Shia (the lastone did not exist) ever disassociated themselves from the Prophet’s wives norany of the Sahabah. This is a myth propagated by the Shia leaders who are thehaters of Ahlel Bayt and who do not follow the Sunnah of the Imams, which is tolove and adhere to the Prophet’s wives and the Sahabah. The eleven Imams neverhated to name their daughters “Aisha” so why should the Shia Ayatollahs hate todo that? We ask our dear Shia brothers to turn away from their hateful leaders,reject the way of Shi’ism, and to instead accept the mainstream Islam which waspractised by all eleven of the Imams.

The Ummaahatul Momineen rizwanullah anhunna ajmaeen are part of Nabi Sallalho Alahi wasslam AhlayBait or not? What the Ulama of Ahlesunna wal jama say about that?

Answer:

Wa `alaykum as-Salam wa rahmatullah:

Yes, the Mothers of the Believers are definitelypart of the Ahl al- Bayt of the Prophet, upon him and them blessings and peace,as indicated by the sayings of Allah Most High in His Book according to theunderstanding of the Ulema of Tafsir.

Regarding the primary evidence of the Book ofAllah addressing the wives of the Prophet (SAWS) (Sura 33) as "Ahlal-Bayt":

28. O Prophet! Say unto THY WIVES: If ye desirethe world's life and its adornment, come! I will content you and will releaseyou with a fair release;

29. But if ye desire Allah and His messenger andthe abode of the Hereafter, then lo! Allah hath prepared for the good among youan immense reward.

30. O ye WIVES OF THE PROPHET! Whosoever of youcommitteth manifest lewdness, the punishment for her will be doubled, and thatis easy for Allah.

31. And whosoever of you is submissive unto Allahand His messenger and doeth right, We shall give her reward twice over, and Wehave prepared for her a rich provision.

32. O ye WIVES OF THE PROPHET! Ye are not likeany other women. If ye Keep your duty (to Allah), then be not soft of speech,lest he in whose heart is a disease aspire (to you), but utter customaryspeech.

33. And stay in your [F] houses. Bedizen not yourselveswith the Bedizenment of the Time of ignorance. Be regular in prayer, and paythe poor due, and obey Allah and His messenger. Allah's wish is but to removeuncleanness far from you [M/F], O FOLK OF THE HOUSEHOLD, and cleanse you [M/F]with a thorough cleansing.

34. And bear in mind that which is recited inyour [F] houses of the revelations of Allah and wisdom. Lo! Allah is Subtile,Aware.

It is clear that a switch from feminine tomasculine with reference to The address to Ahl al-Bayt means

(1) the grammatical value of Ahl is Masculineand/or

(2) at least one man is included with thefeminine group being addressed. The latter group would thus consist in thewives of the Prophet (SAWS) *together* with the Mantle (`Itra): `Ali, Fatima,and their Children.

This is confirmed by the majority of the scholarsof Qur'anic commentary.

In addition, it includes the zak�t-forbidden Muttalibi familiesof `Ali, `Aqil, Ja`far, and `Abbas; while Haqqi in Ruh al-Bayan added Salmanal-Farisi according to the explicit hadith "Salmanu minn� Ahl al-Bayt" as a proofthat the freedman is part of a man's household, while Shaykh Muhyi al-Din Ibn`Arabi in his Futuhat (2:126-127) explained Ahl al-Bayt in the Salman hadith asreferring to each Muslim that acquires the attributes of his Master i.e. theProphet (SAWS). The latter sense is confirmed by the narrations stating:"Do not come to me with your lineages on the Day of Resurrection! MyFamily is every Godwary believer" and "Every Prophet has a Family andcarriage; my Family and carriage are the Believer" (�l� wa `iddat�al-mu'min).

In conclusion, Ahl al-Bayt has many meaningsaccording to context, and The context of 33:33 is: first the wives of theProphet (SAWS), then the Wives together with the noble `Itra, and Allah knowsbest.

Al-Razi, al-Tafsir al-Kabir (6:615): "AllahMost High quit using the feminine pronoun in his address and turned to themasculine by saying {liyudhhiba `ankum al-rijsa = to remove uncleanness farfrom you [masculine plural]}, so as to include both the women of his [i.e. theProphet's] house and the men. Explanations have differed concerning the 'Ahlal-Bayt' but the most appropriate and correct is to say they are his childrenand wives; al-Hasan and al-Husayn being among them and `Ali being among them...due to his cohabitation with the daughter of the Prophet (SAWS) and his closecompanionship with the Prophet (SAWS)."

Al-Baghawi, Ma`alim al-Tanzil (2:393): "Inthis verse [Hud 73] there is a proof that wives are part of Ahl al-Bayt. ...(3:428) He means by Ahl al-Bayt [in 33:33] the wives of the Prophet (SAWS)because they are in his house and this is the narration of Sa`id ibn Jubayrfrom Ibn `Abbas."

Al-Baydawi, Anwar al-Tanzil (4:374): "TheShi`a's claim that verse 33:33 Is specific to Fatima, `Ali, and their two sons- Allah be well-pleased with them - ... and their adducing it as proof of theirimmunity from sin (`ismat) and of the probative character of their consensus,is weak, Because restricting the meaning to them is not consistent with whatprecedes the verse and what follows it. The thread of speech means that theyare part of the Ahl al-Bayt, not that others are not part of it also."

Al-Khazin, Lubab al-Ta'wil fi Ma`ani al-Tanzil(3:490): "They [Ahl al-Bayt] are the wives of the Prophet (SAWS) becausethey are in his house." Then he mentions the other two explanations,namely, that they are the `Itra or that they are the families of `Ali, `Aqil,Ja`far, and al-`Abbas.

Al-Nasafi, Madarik al-Tanzil wa Haqa'iq al-Ta'wil(3:490): "There is in it [verse 33:33] a proof that his wives are part ofthe Folk of his Household (min ahli baytihi). He said 'from you [M] (`ankum)'because what is meant are both the men and women of his family (�l) as indicated by {wayutahhirakum tath�ran =and cleanse you [M/F] with a thorough cleansing} >from the filth ofsins."

Al-Tabari, Tafsir (22:7) [after citing reportsexplaining Ahl al-Bayt to mean the `Itra] and al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul (p. 299#734): From `Ikrima concerning 33:33: "It is not as they claim, but theverse was revealed concerning the wives of the Prophet (SAWS)."

Al-Zamakhshari, Tafsir al-Kashshaf (2:212):"In this [33:33] there is an explicit proof that the wives of the Prophet- Allah bless and greet him - are among the People of his House (min AhliBaytihi)."

Al-Shawkani, Fath al-Qadir (4:278-280) andal-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (9:48-49): "Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrima, `Ata',al-Kalbi, Muqatil, and Sa`id ibn Jubayr said the wives of the Prophet (SAWS)are specifically meant [in 33:33], and by house are meant the houses of hiswives as mentioned before in the verses. While Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, Mujahid,and Qatada - it is also related from al-Kalbi - said that those meant arespecifically `Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn. They adduced the fact thatthe pronouns are in the masculine, but this was refuted by the fact that thenoun Ahl is masculine and therefore necessitates a masculine gender as in theverse [Hud 73].... A third group stands midway between the two and includesboth [the wives and the `Itra]... A number of the verifying authoritiesconsider this the most correct explanation, among them al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir,and others."

Al-Sawi, Hashiyat al-Jalalayn: "It was saidthe verse [33:33] is comprehensive (`�mma)to mean the People of his House in the sense of his dwelling and these are hiswives, and the People of his House in the sense of his lineage and these arehis offspring."

Al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur (6:603): [afterciting the narrations of the `Itra] Ibn Sa`d narrated from `Urwa that he said:"Ahl al-Bayt [in 33:33] means the wives of the Prophet (SAWS) and it wasrevealed in the house of `A'isha."

Ibn al-Jawzi, Zad al-Masir fi `Ilm al-Tafsir(6:378): "Then He showed their superiority over all women when He said:{You [feminine] are not like anyone [masculine] of the women} (33:32).Al-Zajjaj [the philologist] said: 'He did not say, "like any otherwoman" in the feminine, because the masculine form denotes a generalexclusion of both male and female [human beings], one and all.'"

Al-Bukhari, Sahih: Hadith from Anas: The Prophet(SAWS) visited `A'isha and, upon entering her house, said: "As-Sal�mu `alaykum Ahl al-Bayt! warahmatullah." Whereupon she responded: "Wa `alayka as-Salam warahmatullah, how did you find your wives [ahlak]? May Allah bless you."Then he went around to see all of his wives and said to them exactly what hehad said to `A'isha.

Al-Wahidi, al-Wajiz fi Tafsir al-Kitab al-`Aziz(2:865): "Ahl al-Bayt [in 33:33] meaning, the wives of the Prophet (SAWS)and the men [and women] of the People of his House."

Al-Tha`alibi, Jawahir al-Hisan fi Tafsiral-Qur'an (2:212): "This verse [Hud 73] shows that the wife of a man ispart of the People of his House (min Ahli Baytihi)... and 'the House' in Suratal-Ahzab [33:33] refers to the dwelling quarters [i.e. of the wives]."

Ibn Jama`a, Ghurar al-Tibyan fi Ma lam Yusamma fial-Qur'an (p. 421 #1201) and al-Suyuti in Mufhamat al-Aqran fi Mubhamatal-Qur'an: "Ahl al-Bayt in verse 33 are the Prophet and his wives. It was alsosaid they are `Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn, and it was also said theyare those for whom sadaqa is unlawful [i.e. �l`Aqil, �l `Ali, �l Ja`far, and �l al-`Abbas]."

Al-Zarkashi, al-Burhan fi `Ulum al-Qur'an(2:197): "The phrasing of the Qur'an [in Surat al-Ahzab] shows that thewives are meant, that the verses were revealed concerning them, and that it isimpossible to exclude them from the meaning of the verse. However, since otherswere to be included with them it was said with the masculine gender: {Allahdesires to remove uncleanness far from you [masculine plural], O Folk of theHousehold}. It is then known that this desire comprises all the Folk of theHousehold - both male and female - as opposed to His saying {O wives of theProphet} and it shows that `Ali and Fatima are more [specifically] deserving ofthis description ["Ahl al-Bayt"] than the wives."

Al-Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur'an (4:378-379): "It[the verse Hud 73] shows that the wives of the Prophet - Allah bless and greethim - are of the People of his House (min Ahli Baytihi) because the angelsnames Ibrahim's wife as being of the People of his House, and so has Allah MostHigh said when addressing the wives of the Prophet - Alah bless and greet him -when He said:... [33:33]. His wives are part of those meant because thebeginning of the address concerns them."

"This [33:33], as you see, is an explicitverse and a radiant proof that the wives of the Prophet - Allah bless and greethim - are among the People of his House (min Ahli Baytihi), ruling once and forall the invalidity of the opinion of the Shi`is who narrow it to mean onlyFatima, `Ali, and their two sons - Allah be well-pleased with them. As for whatthey claim as their proof [hadith of the Mantle], it only shows that they [theFour] are part of Ahl al-Bayt, not that other than them are excluded."

TheShia propagandists slander the Prophet’s wife, Aisha. It should be noted,however, that the Munafiqoon (Hypocrites) and Kufaar (Disbelievers) have alwayssought to hurt the Prophet by slandering his wife; as such, there is nothingnew in the Shia tactics. During the lifetime of the Prophet, many of theenemies of Islam hurt the Prophet by slandering his wife, and this pained theProphet very much. The Prophet said:

“Who would exonerate me from theaccusations of that person who has troubled me in regards to my family? ByAllah, I find nothing in my wife but goodness!”

(Sahih Muslim, Book 37, Number 6673)

The Prophet has asked who will exoneratehim from the accusations made against his wife. It will be the Ahlus Sunnah walJama’ah that will do that, Insha-Allah!